Ancient Greek military personal equipment
, (spear), shield, Corinthian helmet and sheathed sword.]] Ancient Greek weapons and armor were primarily geared towards combat between hoplites, armored foot soldiers. The most common combat formation was the phalanx, a massed shield wall, which required heavy frontal armor and medium-ranged weapons such as spears. Soldiers were required to provide their own panoply, which could prove expensive, however the lack of any official peace-keeping force meant that most Greek citizens carried weapons as a matter of course for self-defence. Because individuals provided their own equipment, there was considerable diversity in arms and armour among Grecian troops. The poorest citizens, unable to afford the purchase or upkeep of military equipment, operated on the battlefield as psiloi or peltasts; fast, mobile skirmishing troops. Weapons were primarily constructed from iron, wood and bronze. Personal weapons Spears The primary infantry weapon used by hoplite troops a two-to-three meter spear with a leaf-shaped blade at one end and a short spike at the other. The spear was used one-handed (the other hand supporting the soldier's shield). Cavalry troops used a thin spear or a very long lance which provided a range advantage over shorter infantry spears. Under Philip II of Macedon, infantry troops were equipped with extremely long spears (up to 21 feet) called sarrisae. Used in conjunction with the phalanx formation, this made an impregnable wall of spears in front of the infantry, the enemys shorter spears could not reach the phalanx because of the sarissae . Swords As a secondary weapon, hoplites carried a short sword made from either iron or bronze. This was used in the event of the spear breaking, or if close melee combat ensued. Cavalry troops used a heavier, slashing sword. The light skirmishing troops might be equipped with a short sword or dagger of some sort. Missile weapons While the majority of fighting was done hand-to-hand, light support troops such as the psiloi were often armed with missile weapons. Popular ranged weapons were the bow (toxa), javelin (akontia) and sling (sfendonai). while the bow was a relatively uncommon weapon (the wooden stave bow used had a limited range), some troops treated their arrows by thrusting them into rotting corpses, thus creating a crude form of biological weapon. Peltast troops commonly used javelins, and hoplites and cavalry troops were also often equipped with javelins for throwing. The javelins used were light spears around 1.5m in length, with an unbarbed bronze head to facilitate recovery of the weapon; they were usually thrown with the aid of an amentum. Slings used both lead pellets and stones; stones were also commonly thrown by hand. Armor A heavy bronze breastplate was the most common form of infantry torso armor, usually in the form of a bell cuirass or linothorax. Little other armor was worn, and fatal blows to unprotected areas (such as the groin or neck) are recorded in ancient art and poetry. Cavalry armor was designed to be lightweight; over a sleevless tunic called a chitoniskos the cavalry soldier would wear a muscle cuirass designed to leave the arms as free as possible. Hoplites wore greaves to protect the lower leg, as did cavalry, but otherwise the torso and head were the only body parts protected by armour. Shields The most vital part of the hoplite's panoply was the hoplon, a large, round shield usually made from wood. The hoplon was around a meter in diameter, and weighed around 16 lbs, making it awkward to hold for long periods. Peltasts were armed with wicker shields called pelte, which were much lighter, allowing for greater movement on the battlefield. Helmets Helmets for the infantry came in various types. The earliest standard hoplite helmet was the Corinthian helmet, developed around 600BCE. Later, this was replaced by the Phrygian helmet and Chalcidian helmet, which were lighter and did not impair the wearer's vision or hearing so severely. Helmets often had a horsehair crest, for decorative purposes and as an additional level of protection. The Boeotian helmet was commonly used by cavalry troops due to their need for unimpeded vision and hearing. Helmets were mainly used for protecting the head but leaving the eyes, mouth and nose unprotected. Other Chariots The chariot, though ineffective for warfare in the hilly terrain of the Greek mainland, was used by the Myceneans in some circumstances. The vehicle used was generally a single-axled chariot, drawn by two horses and carrying two passengers (a driver and a spearman or archer); the construction was generally bronze-plated wood. Catapults The Ancient Greeks used two principal types of heavy catapults as siege engines. The ethytonos was a type of stationary bow, mounted on a tripod and similar in design to a ballista. A larger version, the palintonos, fired stone projectiles. References Category:Military history of Ancient Greece }}